Setting
Through a simple, unadorned metaphor, the author introduces an important element of the story that will prove significant as the narrative unfolds. It is an especially creative way of drawing the reader into the importance of the story’s setting without being overly obvious in the foreshadowing:
“The squat clapboard houses seemed mostly front porch.
And each house had its own particular role to play.”
Character
Tyler draws out her characters through judicious use of metaphorical imagery as a description. She is especially effective at framing the metaphor through the perspective of another character so that it serves a dual purpose in describing one character explicitly while offering a more subtle glimpse into the observer:
“Sister Bertha is a nosy-bones, Ian thought distinctly. And I hate that tomato-soup color she dyes her hair.”
Narrative Voice
And then on other occasions, the description is simply the voice of the narrator telling the reader something about a character and using figurative imagery to bring it to life:
“Her face was so freckled that it had a spattered look, as if someone had thrown handfuls of beige spangles at her.”
Portrait in Words
Every once in a while, Tyler adds a bit of metaphorical flourish to show off her ability to instantly convey exactly the image in her head to the reader. Only those lacking the knowledge of who Lincoln is or what “cadaverously” means could possibly not project in their mind something fairly close to what the author was seeing at the time she penned this description:
“This was a cadaverously thin man in his thirties with a narrow ribbon of beard like Abraham Lincoln’s.”
Irony
Early on, the author shows off another example of using metaphor in a dual level. This image gives insight into the observer while, within the surrounding context, helps to bring the observed character into stronger focus. In this case, however, there is a third level at work that the reader will likely not realize on a first reading because it occurs so early in the novel. A second reading will reveal the true artistry of the ironic foreshadowing presented with this use of metaphor:
“To Ian, Lucy resembled some brightly feathered bird held captive by his brown plaid family.”
